The Homecoming and Other Stories (CD) (ISBN-13: 9781408400630)

Maeve Binchy is one of Britain's most popular storytellers, and these four tales demonstrate the warmth and compassion that have made her many novels bestsellers. In 'Homecoming', read by Sean Campion, the Brennans run Quentin's restaurant in Dublin for the owner, who lives abroad. But what will happen when he suddenly pays a visit? 'Telling Stories', read by Joanna Myers, sees Irene's fiancé turning up the night before the wedding with a face as white as the dress that is to be worn the next day. Then trouble starts... In 'Needy', read by Patricia Hodge, Heather is painfully aware that Valentine's Day declarations of love should be viewed with suspicion, even if the sender is the one she loves. And in 'The Interview', read by Kate Binchy, Bessie is deaf and needs a place in a special school. But will she pass the interview? Finely crafted and full of wit and charm, these are stories that no fan of Maeve Binchy will want to be without.

About the Author
Maeve Binchy was born in Dalkey, Ireland, in 1940. She went to school at the Holy Child Convent, Killiney, then attended University College, Dublin where she gained a BA in History. After graduation, she taught at several girls' schools and wrote in the holidays. She started her writing career as a journalist on the "Irish Times," after her parents sent in the letters she had written while abroad traveling and the newspaper published them. At first a columnist, she later became Women's Editor, then turned to feature reporting and moved to London, where she met her husband Gordon Snell, a BBC presenter and author of children's books. Her first novel, " Light a Penny Candle" (1982) was an instant hit in the UK and abroad, much to her own surprise: 'When I wrote my first book... hand on my heart, I thought only Irish people would read it. I didn't think anyone else would be interested in the problems of people in dull, wet places'. But her trademark portraits of Irish contemporary society, combined with her warmth, wit and compassionate interest in people's lives, brought her a legion of devoted fans, and her books were translated into many languages. Her novels included "Tara Road," which was selected for Oprah Winfrey's Book Club, and "Circle of Friends" (1995), which was adapted by Andrew Davies into a highly successful film starring Minnie Driver and Chris O'Donnell. She also wrote short story collections, non-fiction books and several plays, but preferred to be described simply as a storyteller, claiming that 'people think that novelists have style... I don't have any style. I don't write like Margaret Atwood or Fay Weldon, I don't write like anybody. I write as if I was talking. That has been useful to me. If you just talk away, that's where you're nearest the truth, nearest yourself. I write as if I was telling a story to a friend.' Maeve Binchy was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Book Awards in 1999, and the President of Ireland presented her with the Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bord Gais Irish Book Awards in 2010. She died in 2012."